On The Way

Just a heads up, the X-Plus Toho 30cm Series Godzilla 1989 is now out! Hobby Search just charged me for it this morning, and hopefully it'll be shipped sometime tonight, or in the next few days. I expect to receive mine by July 18th (or the 25th, the latest).

Also, I was pretty much dragged into taking a gamble and buying - despite my previous oath - a Second Edition S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla. From the very few photos of the figures that I saw, the eyes have been pretty much corrected. Now, I am not 100% sure if this is accurate for ALL of the Second Edition figures, but that's why I ordered myself one. If it has corrected eyes, then I'll use this figure to display in my collection while I store away my First Edition. I should be receiving that figure alongside my X-Plus 30cm Godzilla 1989.

The major difference between the First and Second Edition (besides the eyes hopefully)

 is that the latter does not include the Atomic Beam effect part. 

UPDATE - Also, I ordered myself the Godzilla Legends Trade Paperback as well the other day. So far I've only read Issues #1 - #3 in this mini series. I still have to read Issues #4 and #5, which I really look forward to. I would've bought the individual issues, but being a fan of Matt Frank's work, I had to buy the Trade Paperback with his awesome looking cover depicting Godzilla, Anguirus, Rodan, Hedorah, Titanosaurus and Kumonga. I hope to receive it sometime this coming week. 

KaijuMaster Remastered

A mildly drastic redesign of my new DeviantArt mascot character Kaiju Master. 

He's also got a name now, Orion.

Illustrated on Manga Studio EX 4

Colored & Edited with Adobe Photoshop CS5

Scaling Allies

A photo I took, scaling my new X-Plus 30cm Rodan 1964 with my Banpresto Godzilla 1954.

Kaiju Toy Review - X-Plus Toho 30cm Series Rodan 1964

I checked the mail at work this morning, and when a big-ass box was placed in front of me, I knew exactly what had arrived! For the entire day I was so tempted to open it up, but I had to resist. After a long day at work, I rushed home and took pleasure in opening this guy up!

The box for this figure is pretty BIG! Bigger than I was originally expecting. Carefully I opened the box and undid the wiring, holding this figure in place. After taking it out of the box, I prop it up and display it on our dining room table. My first impression - Oh my God! This figure is exactly what I expected! The detailing is spectacular, the color is just spot on, and the scale of this thing is pretty awesome.

Rodan stands just over a foot tall from head to toe. It has a two foot wingspan from the tips of its left and right wing. The detailing is pretty great and when you sit down and look at it, it's as if the actual suit had shrunk down and perched itself in front of you. When this figure first came out back in April, I was initially disinterested mostly because of how thick the wings looked. However I trusted other collectors when they said that the wings were not as bad in person, and they were right.

Am I happy with this figure? Most definitely! I bought this figure purely on my winnings from the casino a couple of weeks ago. Essentially this is my prize from that one night. I have no regrets. X-Plus certainly delivers with this figure, and I am really looking forward to receiving Godzilla 1989 sometime in the next several weeks as well as Varan, and Titanosaurus!

Titanosaurus is up for reservations!

Just a heads up, the X-Plus 30cm Titanosaurus figure is now up for reservations on Hobby Search. It's slated for a late August release. I have mixed feelings about the sculpt, but when it's painted, it will hopefully look better. Even though the 30cm Rodan '64 was set to be my last figure that I order this year, I couldn't resist Titanosaurus here... NOW I'm done for the year! XD

Change of Destination

Well, it's a last minute change, but hopefully it goes through.

Since I am a bit uneasy of my relatives picking up my mail back home in Guam (based on several cases in the last month), I decided to request Hobby Search to change the shipping address for my X-Plus 30cm Godzilla 1989 to my parent's address where I am currently at right now. It's too much of a risk to have it sent to Guam, because by the time my relatives picked up my 25cm MechaGodzilla earlier this month, it was being prepared to be sent back to Hobby Search! Oh the stress I went through.

Granted, my parents are moving back to the United States this summer and mid-way through July we'll be packing out. I expect sometime around July 11th that I'll receive the figure (I certainly hope that it still releases sometime next week!)

Along with my 30cm Rodan 1964, S.H. MonsterArts Mogera, and several other items, I have quite a large shipment to make to Guam before my parents and I leave our home of four years in Kenya... Yes, you heard right.

Full Puni! Zone Fighter

I'm in no way interested in this figure, but I felt it was something worth mentioning.

I was scouring the internet earlier... the Toho Kingdom Forums more accurately, and eventually came across a link that led to a picture of an upcoming figure of Zone Fighter (on the right) in the S.H. MonsterArts thread. Initially I thought that this was going to be a new addition to the said line that Tamashii Nations sprung up from out of nowhere, but alas, that isn't true.

The figure is in fact made from a company called Evolution Toy, and is the first in a new line called, Full Puni! I was actually very thankful that Zone Fighter isn't in the S.H. MonsterArts series due to my distaste in it. To know why, please continue reading.

Even from the very beginning of my fascination with Godzilla and everything that relates to it, Zone Fighter has always been Toho's cheap attempt to cash in on the success of Tsuburaya's classic Ultraman franchise. The giant alien superhero, the whacky monsters, and cheesy main characters - it's got all that Ultraman had. However the thing that Zone Fighter had that, I admit, peak my interest initially was that it featured cameos of Godzilla, Gigan, and King Ghidorah. The Big G was always seen as an ally to Zone Fighter and even helped him train. Besides that, I am not a fan of ZF, and I always have preferred Ultraman in the long run.

Ok, back to this figure.

From first glance, I found it very unattractive. Proportion seems a bit off for me, and the sculpt is much more skimpier than the Ultraman figures in Tamashii Nations' UltraAct line... like anorexic skimpy. Articulation appears to be not different from a typical UltraAct or FiguArt figure... from three years ago!

I know I've been ranting a lot on this figure.
And I admit, part of the reason is that I just don't find Zone Fighter as fascinating as other fans do. In it's own right, this figure is neat, but it's just not for me.

Comicon EXPLOSION!

An ad for the S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla (Comic-con Explosion) 

exclusive figure on the back cover of Famous Monsters #252. 

*Originally posted on the Toho Kingdom Forums by Planetxman.

He's Coming...

What is this I sense?

Titanosaurus is being released in X-Plus' Toho 30cm Line this August!

If you can read Japanese, it is announced here: http://www.ric-toy.ne.jp/comingsoon.html 

Heck, I've been buying so much stuff this summer, and with Titanosaurus being announced, it kind of makes me have 'buyer's remorse' for jumping after the 30cm Rodan the past weekend. No worries though. By the time Titanosaurus comes out I would have paid off all of my preorders (30cm Godzilla '89, SH MonsterArts Fire Rodan, UltraAct Ultraman [New Edition]) prior, and have enough money to hopefully pay off the well-over $200 bill that Titanosaurus will come with. By then I'll only have Ultra-Act Red King (around $43) and the S.H. MonsterArts King Ghidorah (around $91) to expect.

I hope by sometime towards the end of this month or sometime in July we'll see the first images of the prototype online.

Reorganization Plans

Even though I will not be returning home to Guam until the second week of August, I am already thinking of plans on how to reorganize my figures (and ultimately my room) to accommodate the hoard of figures that I will be adding onto my already sizable collection.

Without all the necessary pictures to show, I'll just describe what I intend to do. As of now, my collection lines up one wall of my room. They're displayed on three 4-tier black bookshelves. However, what I might do is have my X-Plus figures displayed separate from my main collection. My intent is to have them displayed on the shelves above my desk OR on the shelves above my entertainment center (TV, Speakers, BluRay Player, X-Box360, Wii, etc.) In order for me to do that I may have to store away ALL of my Revoltech figures - mostly Evangelion stuff, not the kaiju figures though.

By doing that, I'll definitely have enough room for my three 30cm X-Plus figures - Godzilla '89, Rodan '64, and Varan, as well as my 25cm figures Gigan, and MechaGodzilla '74. The rest of my collection will remain where it is. I'll move my SH MonsterArts figures to the top shelf because they're the figures that I want people looking at when they come into my room... that's where my friends and I typically hang out most of the time since it has the BEST air conditioning in the entire house! My UltraActs will be displayed on the two shelves on the row below the top shelves. Next to them on the third shelf will be my Revoltechs where they are currently at right now. My vinyls and chogokins will be displayed on the third shelves down. Bottom shelves are reserved for boxes and packaging.

Once I return to Guam and make these rearrangements, I promise that I will upload pictures!

X-Plus 30cm Varan - Colored Photos

Hobby Search has posted the first images showing off the colored X-Plus 30cm Varan. It's not a bad color scheme. Certainly they were going more for the original colors from Varan The Unbelievable (even though the film was in black and white) rather than the slightly brighter coloration that we Destroy All Monsters. Still, I am not regretting asking for this figure. The paint job is still better than that of the 25cm Showa Moguera.

SH MonsterArts Little Godzilla's Box Design Revealed

Bluefin and Tamashii Nations unveils the box design for the upcoming Little Godzilla with Crystal Set web exclusive (regular release stateside), releasing sometime towards the end of this month! So cuuutttee!

Updated Summer / Fall Haul:

Since the last time I updated this list, I've added quite a few more items. Here is what I received and ordered thus far:

IDW Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters Volume #3 (Received)

Varan The Unbelievable DVD (Received)

S.H. MonsterArts Mogera (Received)

X-Plus Toho Large Monsters Series MechaGodzilla 1974 (Received)

IDW Godzilla Issue #1 (Received)

Bandai 1995 Destoroyah (Received)

Dogora DVD (Received)

Space Amoeba DVD (Received)

And here is what I have on the way or reserved as of now...

X-Plus Toho 30cm Series Rodan 1964

S.H. MonsterArts Little Godzilla with Crystal Set

X-Plus Toho 30cm Series Godzilla 1989

S.H. MonsterArts Explosion Godzilla [SDCC Exclusive]

S.H. MonsterArts Fire Rodan

Ultra-Act Ultraman [New Edition]

X-Plus Toho 30cm Series Varan (Birthday Present)

Ultra-Act Red King

S.H. MonsterArts King Ghidorah

These are the LAST items that I will be buying and receiving for a while. 

My Just Reward!

I was quite adamant about going to the casino earlier this evening, but to my surprise, I essentially tripled my money by the end of the night!

With my winnings, I have decided to use some of it to purchase another X-Plus figure. I'll be purchasing the 30cm Rodan 1964. This figure has been in my sights for a while. I even attempted at bidding on one on Ebay earlier last month, which I lost. So now that I have enough money to buy one, I am not hesitating!

My big win tonight was really unexpected, but thankfully I stopped when I did. If I kept taking blind chances, I would've lost my money! This Rodan figure will end up being a sentimental favorite of mine since it'll be the result of my BEST win at a casino!

Kaiju Toy Review - Bandai 1995 Destoroyah

Well, typically I am trying to NOT buy more of Bandai's vinyl figures ever since moving onto the more collector-worthy X-Plus figures, but since I had some credit return to spend, I decided to buy this figure. Destoroyah is a figure that I have been eyeing for quite some time. I found this one on BigBadToyStore for $40.00 so I jumped at the chance to purchase this one.

So without further ado, let's get on with this review!

I got this Destoroyah loose without its tag. The figure stands at approximately 8 inches in height from foot to the very tip of its horn. It is sculpted out of soft vinyl, contrast to the harder vinyls of figures prior to 1995. The texturing on the skin is actually pretty good when looked at up close and when touching it. 

There are a lot of things that I love about this figure, the body sculpt, detailing, and color. It's essentially one of the best Bandai vinyls of the 1990's. The only knack I have is how the wings are colored and molded. Despite my complaint, I still believe that the wings add to the figure's charm. Plus, I do not typically display Destoroyah - at least the six inch version - with its wings out. By having the wings folded, it allows the figure to be displayed without taking too much space.

While scaling isn't a big issue for me, I feel that it is something that I should still point it out. Both Destoroyah and Burning Godzilla stand at the same height - like their six inch counterparts. It's interesting to point out - as I believe other fans have as well, the six inch Burning Godzilla scales well with this figure. However since I'm selling that figure, I didn't take a photograph of it scaled with Destoroyah. So for those people who go nuts over scale, this figure may not be for you. But as far as sculpt, paint, and detailing goes, it's still a neat figure!

Overall, this has to be one of the neatest of Bandai's vinyls. It has great detail, paint, and the sculpt is pretty nice too - despite the wings. It's one of the more detailed of the standard vinyl releases right up there with the Forever Box Mecha-King Ghidorah, King Ghidorah 2002, and Gigan 2005. This bad boy plus my standard release Burning Godzilla are coming back with me to Guam this August!

In a Honda mood right now!

Since buying and watching the DVD of Varan The Unbelievable, I began craving to buy and watch other Ishiro Honda classics!

So I ultimately ordered myself two more films - Dogora, and Space Amoeba. I should receive these two DVDs sometime this coming week, or next week. I'll post my reviews for them soon after I watch them.

I Melted Down...

Weellll....

I could not help myself. I broke down... or should I say 'melted' down, and pre-ordered myself the San Diego Comicon Exclusive S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla [*Explosion].

I have been eyeing this for quite sometime since the photos were debuted. Initially I was disappointed because I was expecting the 'Burning' Godzilla that we've seen from the prototype images from early last year, however this "Explosion" Godzilla has since really grown on me and hell, I want it!

I won't say where I got it, or how much I paid - all I can say is that it's a little less than what people have been asking for - but I'm just happy enough that I can acquire this item. The S.H. MonsterArts line is the one line that I'd like to have complete (at least of their Godzilla figures), so one way or another I was going to ultimately get my hands on the Explosion Godzilla.

Like my other figures coming this summer, it will be waiting for me back in Guam when I get back in August. So expect a plethora of toy reviews throughout August!

MechaGodzilla's Finally In!

Well, after weeks of waiting, my X-Plus 25cm MechaGodzilla finally was delivered to my place in Guam!

However, there was an issue at the Post Office in which the figure was not there even though my tracking info says that it was. My uncle went in on Tuesday to pick it up, but it was not there. It was recorded that it got in last Saturday. But today it was set to be sent back to Japan, to Hobby Search. I admit, I was freaking out and expected the worst. Fortunately my cousin and uncle made it to the Post Office just in time to pick it up before they were able to ship it back to Japan. You won't believe how relieved (hey rhyme time!) I was.

So now the box is sitting in my room awaiting for me to open it up when I get back there in August! Also to make my day so much better, the S.H. MonsterArts King Ghidorah figure is up for pre-order on Amiami (for $91) and Hobby Search ($105) now! Check my previous post for more.

SH MonsterArts King Ghidorah Up For Preorder

Yep, Toyfreakz is now taking preorders for the S.H. MonsterArts King Ghidorah that is due to be out this September or October, depending where you are ordering it from. It's priced at $124.00, which is not a bad price in my opinion. I know all of you cheapskates out there are just raging!

However, I am going to wait till it pops up on Amiami. They're prices are much better in comparison in the past, so I can assume that King Ghidorah will be a few dollars cheaper there. For those who are just impatient and really want to assure yourselves that you'll be getting this figure, by all means, have at it!

I am hoping that preorders will pop up on Amiami, Hobby Search, and HobbyLink Japan sometime either tomorrow or this weekend. Whenever it'll be, I'll be ready to reserve my figure immediately!

UPDATE!


King Ghidorah is up for preorder at Hobby Search and Amiami now! It costs 7200 yen on Amiami, which is around $91.00 US! A LOT cheaper than what I was expecting. Of course I immediately placed my preorder.